


React

by mochipicchu



Category: The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Awkward Crush, Best Friends, Denial of Feelings, Drinking, Feelings Realization, Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, Jealousy, M/M, Mutual Pining, Party, Unrequited Crush, obvious Kim Sunwoo, soft, sunhak
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:35:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23170291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mochipicchu/pseuds/mochipicchu
Summary: "(...) It wasn't like that. He was sure that he wasn't jealous. Eric was just really pissing him off."OrTwo boys that know each other since the kindergarten, two ordinary students going to the same university, two best friends who are trapped in a mutual pinning and Eric is the only one who took the matter into his hands trying to make them realise their hidden feelings.
Relationships: Ju Haknyeon & Kim Sunwoo, Ju Haknyeon/Kim Sunwoo
Comments: 8
Kudos: 109





	React

**Author's Note:**

> Hello guys, I can't believe I wrote a 20k long fic practically about nothing but I was in need of more sunhak content so here you go! English is not my first language so please bear with all my mistakes I tried really hard to not make any but I'm sure that I missed out some of them ;)
> 
> if you want to talk about sunhak, hit me up on my twitter @monic_hp
> 
> Hope you enjoy ;)

Another Monday, another day in this hellhole called university. Actually, college wasn't that bad, it was much better than high school but Sunwoo had a soccer practice earlier and he was just physically dying. He couldn't feel his muscles, his legs burned because of too much running and he was so tired that the only thing that was on his mind was his cozy room with his comfy bed. God, he missed his fluffy blankets so much right now.

He was sitting by the table in the campus canteen, poking on his fries with his fork and listening to some story that Eric was telling energetically. He was envious that his friend had so much energy this early in the morning, he himself couldn't function properly and the blonde boy was so lively that it was physically painful. And the fact that he had a math lecture in half an hour was just killing him. Go to uni they said, it will be fun they said.

Despite the early hour, there were a lot of students in the canteen chatting with friends, eating breakfast or just killing time before their classes. There was a relaxed and peaceful atmosphere, the smell of cooked meal was hanging in the air and the sun rays were shining through the glass wall lighting the room. Sunwoo really liked sitting there, just eating food and sipping hot coffee. He was in his first year of uni, studying informatics or - how some people called it - computer science, he had a big group of friends and despite being a new member of a campus soccer team, because of his natural talent, he was vice-captain and very respected player. Normally on a day like this, he would just enjoy his morning but at that moment he just wanted to sleep so badly.

He stayed late at night watching some funny compilations on YouTube he couldn't even recall what was this about, videos of kids' accidents or something like that, then he overslept and because of that, he was late for his practice. The team had a big game coming so his coach gave them a deadly time with killing warm-up and none stop running for two hours straight. His eyes were heavy and he was so close to dozing off on the table but Eric's voice woke him up from the thoughts of the dreamland.

"Look it's Haknyeon Hyung." He said and Sunwoo's eyes shoot open. He searched the canteen for the boy and he automatically smiled after spotting him at the entrance. There he was, in his big orange hoodie and curly brown hair talking with his friend Jacob Bae from the same faculty, with heavy books in his hands and a bright smile on his face. He was happily telling him about something and his friend was nodding along, Ju's eyes big and joyous.

Haknyeon was his best friend since Sunwoo could remember. The older boy moved to Seoul in kindergarten and quickly found interest in a shy kid who was always sitting in the back of the classroom - in Sunwoo. At first, Kim was wary of the boy who was always smiling and talking weird stuff about piglets or chickens. Haknyeon was always trailing behind him, he wanted to play with Sunwoo's toys, play games or draw with him and the little boy was so irritated but after some time he started to warm up and the two boys slowly got closer and closer and after some time they started to be inseparable.

Years passed, they became best friends. The one year difference wasn't a problem, they shared everything with each other, they were always seen together. The two of them were attached by the hips and always spend time with each other. They were a golden duo, that's how their mothers always called them. Haknyeon was someone that Sunwoo trusted the most and Sunwoo was the person Haknyeon come to cry when something bad happened. They were each other's pillars and strength, they shared all their secrets and dreams. They were brothers. Soulmates even.

So when Haknyeon turned nineteen and had to leave for college Sunwoo was just so heartbroken. The evening before the older moving to the dormitory he was crying so hard and hugging the brown-haired boy with no intention to let go. Haknyeon just smiled brightly and told him to not worry because he would be only an hour away and that they would see each other at the weekends. It was the first time Sunwoo cried so hard before Haknyeon, he was ashamed because he was always the more composed one. He was the stronger one and the one who didn't like to show his emotions. But that time he dropped his mask and cried like never before. But Haknyeon also hugged him as his life depended on it and they promised to see each other often.

And Sunwoo set his goal to go to the same university as Haknyeon because he just couldn't live without his best friend. So he studied extra hard, he couldn't count the sleepless nights that he devoted to studying just to get a high mark. But it brought the result. He got accepted to the same school as the older one. And now there they were, in the same canteen, on the same campus with the same group of friends. Everything worked out in the end.

"Wow someone seems to be very happy so suddenly. Damn, you're honestly so whipped man." Eric said shaking his head. His shoulders were trembling in laughter and his blonde bangs fell to his eyes, Sunwoo frowned.

"What are you talking about? He is my best friend, of course, I'm happy to see him."

His friend sighed and shrugged not commenting on Sunwoo's answer. He observed Haknyeon for a few seconds then looked at Sunwoo and once again at Haknyeon. Kim raised an eyebrow eyeing his friends questioningly. The younger was behaving very suspicious and Sunwoo really had no idea what was going on at that moment. The blonde one was weird all the time but now it was another level of weirdness.

"Don't you think he looks very nice today?" Eric suddenly asked and Kim almost choked on his fries. He started coughing and Eric gave him a bottle of water to drink before he strangled himself to death. Oh, how generous of him.

That was unexpected and very... new. Why was Eric suddenly talking about Haknyeon's appearance? They saw the older almost every day and he couldn't recall even a one time when Eric would say something like this. Sunwoo automatically looked at his best friend who was waiting in a line for his food. This ridiculous orange oversized hoodie was making him look smaller than he already was and his hair was messy standing in all directions, the Jeju boy didn't really care about fashion so he always wore comfortable clothes and never put makeup on (not that he had too, he was naturally beautiful). Still, he looked very good and super adorable in this kind of outfit and Sunwoo just had to agree with his companion, Haknyeon looked.. very nice.

"I mean.." He cleared his throat, his eyes leaving Haknyeon's silhouette. He couldn't look too long at the boy, it felt weird. "He is cute today I guess." He admitted and Eric grinned. Seriously, what was going on with him that morning?

"You guess?" Eric asked and Sunwoo sighed.

"He looks like normal Haknyeon to me." He shrugged and Eric sighed.

"Really? I think he looks very, I mean very handsome today." Eric said and this time Sunwoo sighed.

"Okay. What's with you today?" He asked feeling slightly irritated. Why was Eric so interested in his best friend? Haknyeon didn't even look so special today, he wore a normal outfit and probably didn't even brush his hair. It didn't make sense that Eric was complimenting him so much.

"Nothing, just trying to see something." The blonde answered and stole one of Sunwoo fries earning a loud hey! That's mine but he really didn't care. He was staring at the black-haired boy with some suspicious glint in his eyes and smirked. "So... now I have a very important question."

"Shoot." Kim said eating his fries.

"Would have anything against if Haknyeon was dating someone?"

What?

"What?" He asked with wide eyes.

This really caught him off guard. He looked at Eric thinking that he was joking but the younger looked completely serious staring at him with poker face and Woo just swallowed. Why was he asking him this? It was such an absurd question but Eric looked seriously curious and was waiting for an answer. Sunwoo looked at Haknyeon at the other side of the canteen and then at his plate.

Did he have anything against Haknyeon dating someone? The answer was supposed to be easy but he couldn't say yes. It felt weird but he couldn't agree without hesitation because Haknyeon was.. his. His best friend since they were kids. When Sunwoo imagined his future, Haknyeon was there with him, they lived in a shared apartment, went grocery shopping together. He saw himself with the older one on the couch playing games till 3 AM. They always were together and he thought that they always will be together. He froze feeling cold sweat forming on his neck.

Haknyeon dating? He really didn't think about it, he never took that into an account. The older one never had a crush, he never liked someone, even if he had, he never told Sunwoo about it. And now Eric asked that and Sunwoo couldn't answer it. He was just confused. The answer should be easy but it wasn't. He realized that for unknown reasons he can't say yes. He felt troubled.

Silence filled the air, Eric was patiently waiting for an answer but Sunwoo's head was a big mess. Thoughts and feelings started to battle in his mind confusing him. An unknown feeling filled his body and he felt a heaviness in his chest. He realized that he was afraid.. afraid that if Haknyeon would date someone he would leave him. But on the other hand, he knew the older boy too much, he knew that the Jeju boy would never leave him. Or he hoped.

"Why are you asking me this?" He said after a while. He cleared his throat, it felt dry all of sudden. "Of course I wouldn't mind if he was happy with that person." He answered honestly.

Because even if it felt weird to picture Haknyeon with someone else, that day will eventually come, that day when he would have to share the boy with someone else. But Haknyeon's happiness should be the most important and he shouldn't be selfish, they will be friends forever. He was sure about it. So why was he suddenly scared? Why was he feeling like Eric just took everything from him with that question?

He honestly had no idea.

"Why do you care about my opinion anyway?" He asked and Eric was quiet for a few seconds. He scanned Sunwoo who as always had a stoic expression on his face trying to mask his confusing feelings. Once again they sat in silence, Kim was playing with his fingers like they were the most interesting thing in the world. He didn't know in what direction their conversation was heading. Just a few minutes ago Eric was telling him a story about his cousin who lost his passport at the airport but suddenly it was about Haknyeon's love life. He wanted to change the subject, it made him feel uneasy for some reason.

Luckily for him and his thoughts, Eric just shrugged and drank from his water bottle.

"Just curious." He said. "So you are really okay with him dating? You won't be mad or jealous if he suddenly had a boyfriend?" Eric asked with suspicions expression and Sunwoo sighed. He was tired, he didn't have the energy for this type of discussion. Not on Monday morning in a crowded canteen. Honestly, he didn't has the energy to talk about it ever.

"No, I won't be jealous or mad. Seriously wha-"

"Hey, guys! What are you talking about?" Suddenly Jacob and cheerful Haknyeon came to their table. Haknyeon was smiling from ear to ear, holding a tray of food in his hands while Jacob was carrying their books. Sunwoo immediately shut his mouth and Eric giggled. Why? It remained unexplained.

"Nothing important." Sunwoo said happily that he can end this ridiculous chitchat and pulled back a chair so Haknyeon could sit beside him. Now the older was with him, he could spend this morning with his best friend. The confusing feeling in his chest finally left.  
"Here, come sit with us." He said and both boys sit beside them at the table.

Haknyeon immediately started telling them a story from his lecture and Sunwoo started to listen absorbing Ju's words like a sponge.

Totally immersed by the older boy he missed Eric's evil grin.

.

~*~

.

"Haknyeon Hyung, wait!"

The brown-haired boy immediately stooped after hearing his name. All his lectures ended, it was almost 4 PM and he was walking back to his dorm when he heard someone calling him. He looked around trying to see who was yelling and smiled when he saw a blonde boy running in his direction.

"Hey Eric, what's up?" He asked and smiled at the younger boy. He looked like he was running for some time because he probably had to catch up with him, he was panting and he put his hands on his knees. He looked very funny but Haknyeon didn't want to laugh at him in the middle of the hallway. It would be too rude.

"Were you running?" He asked to make sure and the blonde one nodded.

"Yeah but that's not important. I have a problem and I need your help." Eric said after finally catching his breath and Haknyeon widened his eyes.

"My help? With what?" He asked curiously and Eric carefully looked around. He took the older by the wrist and pulled him towards one of the side corridors. Confused boy just went along with him but panic started to rise in his chest. "Oh my God Eric tell me what's happening, you're scaring me." Haknyeon said when they stopped in the empty hallway.

Eric looked around once again to make sure that they were alone and when he confirmed that none can hear them he sighed loudly.

"Okay Hyung. Hear me out and don't interrupt me until I'm done okay?" He asked and Haknyeon nodded, clearly worried. Why was Eric behaving like that? He couldn't understand it, the younger was a good boy, he was basically an angel, everyone loved him so he couldn't understand what problems could he has. He hoped that it wasn't a very serious one. But he would try to help him, the younger was his friend and he was treating him like a real brother. They knew each other only for a few months but the Jeju boy was already fond of him. Eric was the type of boy that you just couldn't dislike.

The blonde one looked him in the eyes and started:

"Okay, so there is this boy." Oh. Haknyeon blinked. So it was a love problem. "I like him and there is this possibility that he likes me, screw that, I am sure that he likes me back but he doesn't want to admit it, he always denies it, even to himself. I don't know if he is scared or just an idiot but it's so annoying that I can't handle it. I was waiting for almost half a year for him to make a move but he is so stubborn and I know that he won't do it in the near future. Honestly, I don't know if he is gonna admit it at all without some help." He started rambling and with each word he started to sound more and more annoyed.

"So I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend." He said and Hakneyon thought he misheard that. Did he hear it right? Haknyeon thought that the boy Eric was talking about was just really scared and personally, Haknyeon -if he was in Eric's place - would just talk to him about feelings. Not asking someone to be his boyfriend. Was he really serious? Or was it just a prank?

"I.. what?" He asked dumbfounded.

Eric sighed. "I mean.. you don't even have to be my boyfriend. But like.. I will start to hug you more when the boy is near and I will call you cute and all that stuff and you just need to hug me back and say that I'm handsome or something like this to make him jealous. Then I will know for sure that he likes me. Can you do that?" He asked.

Eric's eyes were big and he was pouting with hands folded as for prayer. He was in full aegyo mode and Haknyeon would be heartless if he declined him. Besides, it wasn't a big deal. He liked hugs and Eric was very cute so it wouldn't be that hard to do. Also what a friend he would be if he didn't do that for him. And Eric looked like his life depended on it. So without big of thought, he obviously agreed.

"I will do it." He said and Eric smiled.

"You will? For real?"

Haknyeon laughed and hugged him.

"I mean. I think you should honestly talk with this boy but if you really don't want to then of course, I will help you, cutie." He giggled and the younger one smiled.

"Thank you so much." He said and Haknyeon just shrugged like it was nothing. "But please don't tell anyone, especially Sunwoo and Hyunjoon. I know that this idea is ridiculous and I don't want them to laugh at me. Can you promise me that?"

"Of course, no problem. My mouth is locked and I lost the key." He replied with a smile throwing an imaginary key behind himself. "But tell me.. who is this mysterious crush of yours?" He asked moving his eyebrows and Eric laughed shaking his head.

"I'm not telling you." He said in a sing-song voice and Haknyeon pouted. Of course there wasn't any crush but Haknyeon didn't have to know about it.

"That's not fair. I'm helping you so I have to know." He said and Sohn just shrugged.

"Life's not fair Hyung." He said. "But seriously, thanks, I really appreciate it."

"As I said, no problem." He assured and his phone suddenly vibrated. He read the message that popped up on the screen and smiled brightly. "Oh, I should be going, Sunwoo is waiting for me, we're going to eat something for dinner. See you later!" He said and with a wave started walking back to the dormitory and Eric just rolled his eyes. Sunwoo, of course, it was always Sunwoo. These two were painful to watch but finally he would change that.

He just couldn't take the painful pinning. These two were so obivious. Only a blind person couldn't see that they were in love with each other. For example Sunwoo - his friend was in such strong denial that sometimes Eric just wanted to whack him with his notebook. He couldn't believe that someone could be that much stubborn. Haknyeon thought that he was sneaky but Eric saw his longing gaze when Sunwoo was playing soccer in the field or how soft the tone of his voice was when the older was talking about Kim. But these two always said the same thing - 'we are just best friends' which was a total bullshit in Eric's opinion. The first time he saw Sunwoo was when the older entered their room at the beginning of the year. He had a poker face on, without saying anything he just scanned the room with no emotions, Eric felt shivers running down his spine. The black haired boy looked like a murderer with his stoned expression and cold eyes. The boy said that his name was Sunwoo and that he was his new roommate and Eric was seriously scared of his life. But suddenly a very happy boy ran into their room and hugged Sunwoo almost tackling him to the ground both giggling uncontrollably. That's how he met Haknyeon. A happy virus who put a big smile on Kim's face everytime he just breathed in his direction. Man, he was so whipped. So after few weeks when he asked Sunwoo about his relationship with the older boy, his roommate just looked at him confused and said that they were just best friends and Eric really thought that he misheard it. Everytime they hang out together he felt like thirdwheeling, these two were so sweet too each other (even if Sunwoo was making fun of Haknyeon almost 90% of the time) that it was impossible that they weren't dating. But still, they claimed that their relation was totally platonic and after being friends with them for over half a year he have had enough. And that's how this great idea planted in his head. He would make them realise their feeling and give them their happy ending just like in every fairytale.

He put his hands into pockets of his Jean's and made his way towards his own room whistling quietly.

So lets the plan started.

"I'm a freaking genius." He murmured under his nose feeling as confident as never before.

.

~*~

.

"Hey, what took you so long?" Asked Sunwoo when breathless Haknyeon plopped on a chair on the other side of the table. He already ordered their food, the waiterss just asked if they wanted to order the same thing as always without more questions - they were regulars in the milk-bar. It was small but cozy, it was more like a nice pub than a fancy restaurant but it was their tradition to eat there once in the week. It was an affordable place for college students, it was cheap but the food was delicious and since they step upon this place for the first time they became regular clients. Sunwoo didn't want to admit it but he began to worry because Haknyeon was almost twenty minutes late. The older was very punctual and worry started to fill him when the brown-haired haven't showed up yet even though he wrote a message to him. But when he wanted to take out his phone to call him, the jingle above the door made a sound informing that a new client arrived and after few seconds a smiling Haknyeon was seated opposite him.

"Sorry I'm late, I was talking to a friend and it took longer that I thought." He replied with a sweet smile. He was still wearing this ridiculous hoodie from the morning but still managed to look so cute. Sunwoo with his last strength refrained from pinching his cheeks.

"That's okay. What were you talking about?" The younger asked and after opening his moth Hakneyon immadietely stopped. He cursed in his mind, he almost told Sunwoo about Eric. He smiled nervously trying to act innocent while Sunwoo looked at him with confused expression and Haknyeon looked at the wall on the other side of the restaurant trying avoiding the eye contact. He couldn't lie to Sunwoo. Even if he wanted, he just couldn't and the younger always saw that he was hiding something. Ju was just bad at lying, especially to his best friend but since he made a promise to keep Eric's plan a secret, he had to. So he just shook his head and waved his hand dismissively.

"Nothing important, just about something from the lecture." He replied and Sunwoo raised one eyebrow.

"Okay..." he said clearly feeling that Haknyeon wasn't telling him something but he didn't want to pry. He scanned his best friend's face for a few seconds then shrugged. The older would tell him eventually, he always did. So he started a small chat changing the topic. He asked about Haknyeon's day and how he enjoyed his classes. The older was studying veterinary medicine which was understandable with his love for animals. Because of this type of studies his schedule was packed and with a part time job in a small pet shop Sunwoo was shocked that his friend could even function properly. But he was Ju Haknyeon, his energy had no limits and if he wanted to do something he would, even if it would be physically draining.

In the meantime their meal was served, just big hamburger and coke for Sunwoo and fries with strawberry milkshake for Haknyeon. Damn, if his mother would see this she wouldn't have let him go to college. His diet was truly tragic. They immediately dug into their food enjoying every bit of it. The campus canteen dishes were good but nothing can beat a delicious portion of a junk food.

Sunwoo loved this kind of afternoon - just chilling with his friend in a small bar, eating unhealthy food and gossiping about everything that happened that day. In this busy collage world this kind of breather was really healing. Even if they were studying different things and didn't have any classes together they still were seeing each other everyday.  
They were eating breakfast in the canteen, or on a day like this they were meeting in a bar. They slept in the same building, Haknyeon's room was just one floor above his. But sometimes when Haknyeon felt lonely he tiptoed to the younger's bedroom and always found the way to Kim's bed. Hugging his best friend he always fell asleep almost immediately and Sunwoo didn't mind, he slept even better with Haknyeon beside him. Sunwoo was rooming with Eric who was also studying with him and Haknyeon's roommate was Changmin - an one year older boy who was studying interior design. He had a face of an angel but don't let it trick you, he was a literal devil and Sunwoo couldn't understand how Haknyeon could stand being roommates with him. Heck, they were a very good friends (not 'best friends' because this title was reserved only for Sunwoo).

He observed the Jeju boy, who was telling him about a book he had to read for one of his classes and about some anatomy facts he learned from it. He was so invested, talking with full mouth looking like a hamster and gesticulating energetically.

"Oh God, you're such a kid." Sunwoo mumbled after Haknyeon got all dirty with ketchup. The boy got so much into the story that his face was all in a red sauce. "On your face." The younger laughed pointing at his cheek when Haknyeon looked at him like a deer caught in a trap. He tilt his head lightly in confusion and tried to clean himself but all in vain.

Sunwoo just shook his head and leaned over the table. He ran his thumb over Haknyeon's cheek where the ketchup was, making the older's face clean once again. Haknyeon froze when Sunwoo's hand touched his skin but the conctat was gone as fast as it came and before he could even react the black-haired boy was sitting in his chair laughing.

"I can't believe I'm the younger one. You're so clumsy." he said and Ju just rolled his eyes. They both ignored the redness that started to spread on the older's cheeks blaming the high temperature in the room.

"Why are you always mean to me? I'm still your Hyung." Haknyeon pouted and Sunwoo shook his head.

"Not my fault that you can't even eat properly. How do you even function when I'm not around to help you?" He replied stealing two of Haknyeon's fries. "You're literally a toddler in a body of a college student."

"Oh my God you're such a meanie." The older one complained drinking his milkshake and the other laughed.

"But you still love me." Sunwoo winked.

Yeah, I do.

But the words were left unsaid.

.

~*~  
.

He had no idea when all of this happened.

Sunwoo was Haknyeon's best friend since he could remember. They were like brothers, they spend so much time together and Haknyeon always treated him like a younger sibling. So he couldn't understand when he started to look at his friend differently. They were growing, they entered high school and suddenly they weren't little kids anymore. Sunwoo always loved soccer, he made it to the school team and started to work out. His body has transformed from skinny to a more toned one and his face also changed, his chubby cheeks were gone and his facial features sharpened. He changed from a boy to a man. He was one of the most handsomest guy Haknyeon had ever seen, also the younger grew a few inches, he was taller than the brown-haired boy now.

Haknyeon started to notice that changes. He was thinking about his friend more and more, he couldn't sleep at night. Sunwoo was always in his mind and honestly? He was so scared. He adored the younger, he grinned like a fool everytime they hugged, every smile that Sunwoo send into his direction made him blush. He was nervous everytime the black-haired boy was around. It was when he realised that he liked boys and not girls - Sunwoo was the cause of it. But he always thought that it was just a stupid crush, that this feelings would be gone soon but years passed and he was falling deeper and deeper in love with his best friend.

The younger was everything Ju ever wanted. They could talk about everything, Sunwoo never judged him, supported him in everything, Haknyeon could be himself with him, he didn't have to pretend to be anyone else. Kim was always trying to mask his feelings but Haknyeon knew how caring and soft he actually was. It was honestly very cute in the older's eyes. Sunwoo - just like him - had a lot of insecurities but they had each other, they could trust themselves with everything. But still the older fought with his feelings and denied them every single time. It was just an interest, nothing more, he always said that to himself.

But when it was time of Haknyeon's highschool prom everything has changed. That was a night the Jeju boy remembered clearly. In school he was very shy, very different than now, so he didn't ask anyone to be his partner. He was afraid of rejection that he preferred to be lonely. So he went there alone, his friends were all busy with their other halves and he was sitting by the table eating food for almost half of the party. But then, suddenly someone stood up before him and he couldn't believe his eyes. Sunwoo was there with his big smile on, dressed in a black suit with blue shirt matching Haknyeon's, beautiful red roses in his hands. He took the older by his hand and took him to the dance floor, their laugh mixing with the music. Sunwoo said to him that he didn't want Haknyeon to be alone so he sneaked out of his house when his parents fell asleep and Haknyeon's heart bursted with affection. They danced the whole night, they couldn't stop. And swinging in Sunwoo's arms to some slow song and looking in these dark orbs he realised that indeed he was in love with his best friend. And his feeling haven't changed since then.

But he buried them deep down inside, trying to ignore them. Sunwoo was way out of his league, he knew that he didn't have a chance - the younger treated him like a brother. He tried dating in his first year of college but all in vain. His heart still belonged to none else but the younger. So he learned to live with it. He was happy that Sunwoo was his best friend, he could live with that. It was enough.

.

~*~

.

Few days have passed, Haknyeon was going to his lectures and studying to his exams, Eric's plan totally slipped from his mind. He haven't seen the younger since their encounter in the empty hallway on Monday. Probably because he was spending most of his time in his room reading books and writing all assignments he had to do. Now he was going to the library to borrow a book, nothing else in mind.

So when he felt two arms wrapping around him and trapping him in a backhug he felt like he was having a heart attack. He heard a sweet voice near his ear and breathed out with relief after he recognized this person.

"Where is my favourite hyung going?" Eric's loud voice came to his ears and Haknyeon looked around. They were in front of his faculty building, there were a lot of students around and he tried to catch someone familiar. If Eric was behaving like that it meant that his crush was nearby but the only familiar faces he saw were Hyunjoon's and Sunwoo's who were staying behind Eric and looking at them in nothing else but in pure confusion.

But even if he couldn't see Eric's crush he still smiled brightly at him and patted his head. He promised him earlier so he had to play his role in this small act.

"Ah Eric, good to see you! You look so handsome today !" He said a little bit too loud, but nobody really cared and giggled when he saw Eric's mischievous grin.

"Thank you Haknyeon hyung but I think that you have totally outsold today. Pink looks great on you." He said and started playing with the hoodie's pink strings. "And did you style your hair differently? You look so cute, just like a little puppy." He said and brushed his hair and Haknyeon laughed trying to escape from Eric's hold.

"Eric what are you doing! You will mess my hair!" He said but the blonde one didn't stop. He put his hands on Haknyeon's cheeks and squeezed them slightly making him look like a chubby kid. He looked him in the eyes and pouted then saying loudly with a dramatic voice:

"You're so adorable Hyung! I could just eat you up. I'm sure that even if I mess your hair you'll still look am-"

"Are you two done?" A bored voice came from behind, coughing trying to get their attention.

The two boys immediately moved away from each other. Sunwoo was standing there with an unreadable expression on his face, rolling his eyes seeing this interaction. Haknyeon laughed nervously trying to mask his embarrassment but Eric just smiled confidently and put his arm around the older boy bringing him closer. Sunwoo furrowed his eyebrows.

"But doesn't Haknyeon Hyung look so cute today?" He asked with a smirk and Kim massaged his temples. He had no idea what Eric was trying to do but the younger's behaviour irritated him to death. He didn't know what was Eric's purpose with asking this question but he had no intention and energy to play his little game.

"We already talked about this." He replied with a sigh and Haknyeon looked at him in confusion. Wait, what?

"You have.. what?" He asked with big eyes and mouth slightly open and Sunwoo just realized what he said out loud. He had in mind his short conversation with Eric in canteen but with his words choice it sounded very wrong. Haknyeon could really misunderstand it. It wasn't like he was gossiping about him with his roommate but it seemed like it for the older. He froze in his place, he looked at the blonde one who tried not to burst out laughing and swore in his mind. He had to came up with some good save.

"Oh my God. I don't know what's up with you guys but can you two stop? Are we going to eat or not?" Asked Hyunjoon and rolled his eyes. Ju didn't see him earlier because of Eric and now his eyes were focused only on Sunwoo totally missing the younger that stood next to him. Haknyeon met the black-haired boy at the beginning of the year. He was studying the same thing as Sunwoo and was the biggest fashionista Haknyeon have ever seen in his life. He stood next to Sunwoo with irritated expression on his face and hands on his hips, he looked scary bit Haknyeon knew that even if Hyunjoon was so sassy and savage, in reality he was one of the nicest people on the campus. "I would really love to take a part in a debate whenever Haknyeon hyung looks cute or not but I'm starving and we are supposed to go grab something to eat." He said and Sunwoo never in his life was so grateful. Even if Hyunjoon was a pain in the ass with his sassy remarks most of the time, at that moment he just wanted to kiss his feet for changing the topic.

"I mean you look lovely Hyung," Hyunjoon continued after fixing his red sunglasses. Who would have thought that someone could rock this kind of accessory? But Hyunjoon was a really stylish boy so he could slay everything. He pointed at Haknyeon and then at Sunwoo and Eric. "But these two idiots promised me food and we have to go now before they chicken out." He said and Haknyeon just nodded still dumbfounded because of Sunwoo's earlier comment.

Then without saying more, Hyunjoon grabbed Sunwoo's and Eric's collar and giving the older a wink, he dragged both of his friends in the direction of the canteen. Sunwoo just looked behind himself and waved to his best friend and Haknyeon smiled and waved back. Ignoring Eric's smirk they went to eat leaving Haknyeon behind. Sunwoo was really lucky but at that time he had no idea that this was only beginning of Eric's plan.

The best part was ahead of him.

.

~*~  
.

Sunwoo hated it.

He hated that irritating feeling that he had in his chest every single time he saw Eric coming near his best friend. It's been over a week. A week of hard soccer trainings, a week of dozen of homework and essays to write and a week of Eric's weird behaviour that started to piss him off a little bit.

He was tired of his studies, sleepless nights and the stress caused by the upcoming exams and now on top of that he couldn't even live a day without seeing Eric being clingy to Haknyeon. Don't get him wrong, he had nothing against them hanging out together, they did that before so many times, but now Eric started to be like freaking koala to Haknyeon. Sunwoo couldn't even have a private time with his best friend anymore because the blonde boy was always there. Sunwoo thought that the younger was stalking his best friend after spotting them together so many times during that week. When Eric and Sunwoo were alone in a room it was okay, they were playing games or just chatting but when the younger spotted Haknyeon everything changed instantly, Eric would hug him and compliment the brown-haired boy almost non stop, calling him handsome and cute and all synonyms of the word "pretty" but what was worse - Haknyeon was complimenting him back. They were clingly and giggly, Haknyeon always played with Eric's hair and Sunwoo felt his stomach twist.

Sunwoo groaned and hide his face into the pillow. He was laying in his room looking at the white ceiling and trying to understand what was happening to him. It was weird, he really hated it. It shouldn't bother him so much. It really shouldn't, but it did. And it was so annoying that he wanted to punch a wall. He couldn't blame Eric because all the things he said about the older were true. Haknyeon was really handsome, funny, unintentionally adorable and overall amazing. That word described him perfectly- he was just an amazing human being so Sunwoo got it. He really did. Haknyeon was a boy you just had to like. But he was just so confused.

Eric's behaviour changed so suddenly. He was always a clingy person but for the past few days he really was on another level. Was that because Haknyeon was the only one who responded to his actions? Or maybe there was another reason? He sighed and rubbed his face. He started to wondering if Eric had a crush on his best friend. It would be reasonable and not impossible at all. Haknyeon was a person who you would love after just looking at him. He was friendly, nice and talented in so many things. He was the most kindhearted boy on this planet and in addiction - really funny, Sunwoo loved his dad jokes and random actions. That's why he was his best friend.

Sunwoo automatically smiled.

But the smile flattered when he realised that Eric really had a crush on him. When Haknyeon once said that he was cold Sunwoo couldn't even react when Eric was giving him his jacket. Or when they met up with their friends and Haknyeon said he was hungry Eric went to buy him ice cream with his own money, there was a lot of situations like that, many simple actions that only Sunwoo noticed. He sighed. It shouldn't bother him. His very good friend liked his best friend. Just two wonderful people liking each other. It wasn't a big deal, he should be happy and help him with pursuing him. But he wasn't.

He shook his head and groaned. He really wanted to have a peacefull mind. He didn't like these confusing feelings, not at all. Because of them he didn't know what to think and what to do anymore. At the beginning he ignored it. He ignored the sour feeling that started creeping to his chest when he saw Haknyeon hugging Eric. He ignored the quiet voice in his head that wanted to take his best friend from Eric's hold and have him in his arms. He ignored the desire to just take the older and trap him in his room and to spend their time alone.

Even if he knew what this particular feeling was, he didn't want to admit it. He buried it deep down and didn't want to acknowledge it. He was just irritated because Haknyeon was his best friends since they were kids and now he started to spend more time with someone else. That's it. Nothing less and nothing more. He would be a good friend and support these two and the irritating feeling would be gone when he would get used to their relationship.

Oh how stupid he was.

.

~*~  
.

Haknyeon didn't understand it.

It was Friday afternoon, after a draining week students finally could take a break and had a time to enjoy themself. So their small group of friends stated that they had to go bowling. It was an idea that was recklessly thrown by Sangyeon - their the oldest friend, and of course everyone just went with it. So after the last lecture Haknyeon went back to his room, changed his clothes to something nicer than jogging pants and hoodie and after few minutes a loud knock was heard. And there they were, Sunwoo and Eric in their all handsome glory waiting for him to come out. And everything would be normal if Eric didn't start to compliment him like he used to when his crush was around.

"Hi hyung you look hot!" Eric said and Haknyeon couldn't help it but blush at his words. He looked at his skinny Jean's and leather jacket. It wasn't anything special but still he was happy that someone paid attention to his outfit. He smiled then looked at Sunwoo who stood there with his typical stone face. His best friend looked very good, he would say that even too good to be going bowling but Haknyeon wasn't going to complain. Kim smiled slightly at him when he caught him staring and Ju blushed even harder.

"Hey Hyung." Sunwoo said and cleared his throat. "You look good.." he said quietly, almost shy and Haknyeon giggled.

"Thank you guys, you both look very good too." He complimented them and closed the door.

As it was said before - he really didn't understand the situation. The hallway was empty, most of the student were in their rooms relaxing after tiring day, it was only them who were around and he was so confused because the second he closed the door of his room Eric put an arm around him and started to compliment him even more. He was talking about how Ju styled his hair a little bit different or how his lips looked even plumper than normally and Haknyeon didn't know how to react.

He was flustered.

But Eric didn't stop. Even on the street when they were off campus he had his arm around him trapping him in a side hug. It wasn't that Haknyeon didn't like that, he knew that it was only an act that was supposed to make his crush jealous but it was only the three of them. Just him, Eric and Sunwoo. Sunwoo who was walking two steps behind, with hands in his pockets and face directed towards the ground. He wasn't talking much just listening to Eric's story looking slightly irritated after seeing them both in that position and then... And then it hit him.

Sunwoo was Eric's mysterious crush.

Now it all made sense. It was Sunwoo from the beginning, not some random boy on campus that Haknyeon thought it was. That's why Eric didn't want Sunwoo to know about his plan - because he wanted to make Sunwoo jealous. He felt his stomach twist. He recalled every situation where Eric would be clingy to him and every time Sunwoo was with them. Every single time Kim was near. Haknyeon felt like throwing up.

He couldn't believe this. How could he be so stupid? He should have known from the beginning. He really didn't know what to feel at that moment. His mind went blank, he felt like he was underwater - he couldn't focus on Eric's words anymore. He shouldn't be surprised that the blonde one liked his best friend. Sunwoo was perfect. Handsome face, great body, athletic and muscular. Witty, intelligent and great at sports. Not to mention his good heart and funny personality. He was a full package and only a blind person couldn't see it. And he was helping Eric - unknowingly breaking his own heart.

But he couldn't blame the younger one. He had no idea about Haknyeon's feelings. He didn't tell anyone about them. He knew that being with Sunwoo was impossible, the boy was so out of his league and he was happy that he could call him his best friend. Sohn couldn't know about his little crush on Sunwoo. He was careful and tried to mask his feelings, hiding them from everyone. It was impossible that Eric knew anything (oh, if he just could know how wrong he was). But he still felt that pain in his chest making him stand abruptly.

His sudden stop made Sunwoo almost knock on his back but he didn't care. He just blinked, war of thoughts happening in his head.

"Hyung, you okay?" He heard a worried voice and felt a pair of hands on his arms. He locked eyes with concerned Sunwoo who was looking at him waiting for an answer and Haknyeon just smiled slightly. He really shouldn't be feeling this way, it was his own fault that he didn't tell anyone about his feelings. His actions were childish and also very stupid so he just nodded and cleared his throat.

"Yeah, yeah I'm okay.. I just.. I just thought that I forgot my phone in my room." He lied and Sunwoo furrowed his eyebrows. He clearly wasn't believing him, he knew Haknyeon, he knew him too well and he could tell that something was wrong. He studied his face trying to see something but Haknyeon just smiled once again.

"Are you sure? If you're not feeling well we can go back to the dorm and watch something in my room." Sunwoo said and Haknyeon felt warm spreading over his body. Kim Sunwoo, he always wanted look like a bad boy but he still was an angel. Always so caring. Ju shook his head.

"Everything is fine." He reassured and luckily for him he spotted a group of familiar people few metres away. He smiled wider and pointed at the people behind them, glad that this conversation could be over. "Oh look, that's Juyeon and Sangyeon Hyung."

He was right, the rest of their friends were getting out of the car. They were on a parking lot of the bowling alley and Haknyeon was so glad that he could change the topic. He wanted to go bowling and relax with his friends, overthinking his feeling wasn't on a 'to do' list today. He quickly walked to their direction claiming that he wanted to greet them leaving two confused boys behind. Sunwoo looked at Eric raising his eyebrows and Sohn just shrugged trailing behind Haknyeon so Kim dropped the topic. But his worried eyes never left Haknyeon's shiltoulette. Something was definitely wrong and he had to know what.

.

~*~

.

The twelve friends were having so much fun. The atmosphere was wonderful, all the boys missed each other so much because of a hectic school life and finally they could meet up and relax. They booked a big table, ordered a massive amount of junk food and drinks and were just catching up. Sangyeon, the oldest of the group talked about his new job, then Chanhee boasted about the music competition that he won and Younghoon talked about a girl he met a few days ago. Everyone was laughing and chatting, just having a good time with each other. And then the competition time started.

Bowling never was a strong point in Haknyeon's life. Sure, he really enjoyed it, it was an entertaining sport but no matter how much he liked it - he couldn't play it at all. Maybe it was because he wasn't athletic or maybe he just had bad luck when it came to bowling but no matter how carefully he tossed the ball it always missed the pins. A frustrating sigh escaped his mouth after the fourth failed attempt. He was playing against Chanhee and Kevin, the two boys had an overwhelming advantage and of course he was struggling to catch up with them.

"Wow you're so bad at this." Kevin laughed when Haknyeon scored only 2 points and the Jeju boy just pouted. The black haired boy took a swing and tossed the ball, a loud sound spreaded throughout the room and the big, red "STRIKE" showed on a board. Kevin whistled, the rest of the boys clapped and Haknyeon groaned loudly throwing his arms in the air.

"How do you guys do this?! That's not fair!" He asked and Kevin laughed ruffling his hair. The younger looked so adorable in his eyes throwing a tantrum over a stupid game like a literal child.

"Years of practice kid." He shrugged and it was Chanhee's turn. The blonde boy pulled up his sleeves and took a run up. Just like Haknyeon he was known for being unathletic but since Ju was so bad at bowling, compared to him Choi was looking like a star player. And to everyone shock, it turned out that he was excellent in this sport. He looked (and played) like a professional bowling player so Ju wasn't surprised when after a second all the pins were down. He groaned hiding his face in his hands, he was a sore loser - there was no hope for him.

"I can't believe I'm losing to Chanhee. It doesn't make any sense." He mumbled under his nose. His pride was seriously hurt. It was his turn now, he took one of the heavy balls and made his way to his position. He heard Jacob's voice from behind yelling loudly "you can do it Haknyeon-ah" and smiled slightly. Thank God for an angel that was Jacob Bae. He took a breath and tried to focus. He could do it. He just had to believe in himself and throw.

But suddenly he felt a pair of strong arms wrapping around him making him jump.

"Huh?" He made a confused sound when his wrist was held by someone's hand.

"I'll help you." He heard Eric's voice near his ear. His body automatically tensed when he felt the younger's hand on his hip. His cheeks burned red and he really hoped that Sunwoo wasn't seeing all of this but couldn't turn around and check. After his earlier realisation, in a span of a second he became awkward in Eric's presence. He knew he shouldn't be feeling like that but he couldn't help it. He tried avoid these two since they crossed the threshold of the bowling alley and so far he was succesfull. But now Eric once again was all over him and he had no idea how to react.

"You have to do it like this." Eric's voice pulled him out of his trance. Ignoring the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach he brought his attention back to the game. "This angle must be different." Eric instructed. "Then you have to take a strong swing and realise the ball that it can go in a straight line, not in the parabola like you did before." he explained and Haknyeon nodded.

Then Sohn - still holding the older's hand - did as he told, released Haknyeon from his hold that the could just throw the ball and after few seconds a loud bang was heard in the room. It felt like everyone froze when the ball was spinning but when it hit the pins and a big "STRIKE" was announced everyone started clapping and cheering for him like he just have won some championship.

"Hyung you did it! Your first strike!" Eric cheered loudly and Haknyeon couldn't stop his joy and pride. He smiled brightly and without second thoughts he hopped in Eric's arms laughing loudly while the younger spinned them around a few times. He felt a pleasurable shivers running through his body, his older friends were clapping like a proud parents, he was sure that Jacob was crying (he wasn't, he was just acting, but still) and he couldn't contain his happiness. But when Eric finally put him down and he searched the table for a special pair of dark brown eyes an empty space greeted him.

Sunwoo was nowhere to be seen.

.

~*~

.

Sunwoo liked evenings like that. It's been a while since all of them met up like this so he was happy to have fun together. The food was amazing, the atmosphere of the place was wonderful, neon, colorful lights, leather red sofas and popular hits playing through the radio. Even if it was Friday evening the place was not crowded which was a good thing considered that they were a big group and needed a lot of space.

He just ended a bowling match with Eric and Changmin. It was a heated game since all three of them were eager to win but in the end it was Sunwoo who snatched the first place with Eric 15 points behind. He smirked, it was his small victory and he bragged about it with pleasure.

They plopped on the sofa, tired after a long play and Sunwoo's hand automatically went towards Coke, he dreamed of something cold at that moment and for nothing else. Sipping on his drink he observed the next group that was playing. Haknyeon, Kevin and Chanhee were getting ready and his eyes immedietely fell on the youngest of these three.

Haknyeon's behaviour from earlier really worried him. The brown haired boy reassured that everything was okay but still, Sunwoo didn't believe him. Haknyeon started to act awkward around him even if just an hour ago everything was fine. When they came to the bowling alley he dashed to their others friends ignoring Sunwoo's and Eric's presence and he couldn't get why was his best friend behaving like that. Did Sunwoo do something wrong? Or maybe everything was alright and he was just oversensitive?  
He seriously had no idea.

But shaking his head he tried to focus on something else. Juyeon sitting beside him asked him about his last soccer game that he sadly missed because of his part-time job and Sunwoo immersed himself in the conversation. He liked Juyeon but sadly they couldn't spend more time with each other so they had a lot of things to catch up. And after a few minutes of chatting they heard a loud groan and turned their heads to see a pouting Haknyeon and laughing Kevin.

"Poor Haknyeon I literally can feel his frustration here." Said Changmin not looking away from his phone. He was probably stalking some boy from his lectures but Sunwoo didn't want to pry. He looked at his best friend and smiled after seeing his reaction after Chanhee got a perfect score. He was literally a little kid but still in Sunwoo's eyes he looked too adorable. He just wanted to wrap his arms around him and never let go. Of course he didn't say it out loud

Eric who was sitting next to Changmin laughed. "Look at him, what a poor thing." he pointed at Jeju boy who was discussing about something with Kevin. "He can't bear losing to Chanhee. I mean, I get him. I wouldn't stand it either." He said and suddenly stood up making Sunwoo and Changmin flinch at his abrupt movement.

"Where are you going?" Kim asked reaching for Sangyeon's fries. Luckily for him the oldest was too immersed in the play that he didn't see this little theft but he jumped when Jacob yelled a loud encouragement for Haknyeon. Eric just smiled with a suspicious glint in his eyes and answered: "I'm going to help him win."

Sunwoo froze.

He observed how Eric ran towards his best friend and hugged him from behind. He felt like he was being poured with a bucket of cold water. He clearly saw how the younger held Haknyeon's hands and how his left hand rested on Ju's hip. He felt himself burn inside, irritation filled him whole and he had to grab the sofa to calm himself down and erase some tension from his body. Why a simple hug was affecting him so much?

"Eric is really affectionate with Haknyeon lately, don't you think?" Changmin said finally putting his phone aside. "But they're cute tho." He commented sipping on his Coke but Sunwoo was sitting in silence, totally ignoring what the older said. He didn't has an energy for this kind of conversation.

But then Haknyeon scored and everyone cheered loudly - it was his first strike ever but Sunwoo couldn't move, his eyes glued to the pair that was smiling at each other. This stingy feeling once again creeped into his heart making his stomach twist in discomfort but he endured it. But when Haknyeon hugged the younger and Eric spun them around laughing loudly he has had enough. He abruptly stood up almost pouring out his drink on the table. He just threw a quick "I'm going to the bathroom" and walked out of the room ignoring a questioning glances that Changmin and Juyeon gave him. He had to leave, right now.

.

~*~

.

He made his way to the bathroom at the end of the corridor and banged his head on the door. Luckily for him the room was empty so he could think in peace. He made his way to the sink and turned on the cold water. He washed his face and sighed deeply staring at his reflection in a small mirror.

What was happening to him?

Everytime, every freaking time when he saw his best friend with Eric he just wanted to punch something. And he hated it. He hated it so much, this irritating feeling was pissing him off so much that it was driving him crazy.

This couldn't be jealousy. It wasn't like that. He was sure that he wasn't jealous. Eric was just really pissing him off.

That was all. He was so clingy that Sunwoo just couldn't handle it. Seeing these two together hurt his heart. He was Haknyeon's best friend so he was supposed to help him with bowling. Him, not someone else and in particular not Eric. He spent the most time with the older, he was the closest to him so why Haknyeon didn't ask him for help? He groaned and leaned on the sink, black bangs covering his eyes.

"Get yourself together, you idiot." He mumbled quietly and took a few deep breaths.

His actions were ridiculous and he knew it, so why couldn't he just stop? Why his heart started to ache everytime Haknyeon was touching someone else? Why he felt like he was punched everytime Haknyeon held hands with some other guy? It was all new, it was scary. And he didn't like it.

It was confusing him. He wanted to avoid the older but at the same time his eyes always looked for his best friend in the crowd. Being distant with Haknyeon sounded like a good option but on the other hand he was used to Ju's presence in his life and he couldn't get a courage to not meeting with him. He just couldn't...

He looked at his face in the mirror. He looked tired. The battle that he fought in his mind for the past few days reflected on him. He has had enough. Why feelings had to be so complicated? Why couldn't he live a peaceful life without having a battle of thoughts in his mind almost everyday? Why couldn't he bear the interactions between Eric and Haknyeon?

He groaned and pushed himself away from the sink. He breathed out in frustration and rubbed his face with his hands counting in his head to ten. He had to calm himself down, he was behaving like a fool.

He had no idea how many minutes he spent in the bathroom. Was it three minutes? Five? Or maybe fifteen? He didn't count but it felt like an eternity.

But after some time after his overthinking an older man entered the room and Sunwoo quickly made his way out. Putting a nonchalant mask on he walked back to his seat next to Changmin. He was there to have fun with his friends, he shouldn't be overthinking. He sat down on the leather sofa, his friends didn't pay much attention to him, all of them focused on a heated game between Hyunjae and Younghoon and breathed out reaching for his drink.

Even if Haknyeon was seating just a seat away from him he didn't look at him. His eyes fell on the two playing boys ignoring the worried stare his best friend gave him he focused on the game.

He didn't talk to Haknyeon that evening anymore.

.

~*~  
.

Music was playing quietly through the speakers, relaxing sound filled the whole room, it was peaceful and calm evening. Haknyeon was alone in his bedroom, Changmin went out to meet with his friend and the Jeju boy was working on his assignment. Sitting by his desk with his favourite yellow hoodie on, brown bangs clipped into small ponytail above his forehead and big glasses on his nose his eyes followed the black letters on the paper. It was late, almost 9PM but he knew that this night would be sleepless considering the amount of work he had to do.

But his focus was broken when suddenly a loud knock echoed through the room. Haknyeon jumped in surprise, pen falling from his hand to the floor.  
Confused, he left the chair and made his way towards the door, wondering who might that be. He didn't make plans with anyone that day and it was quite late so he was curious about this person.

He opened the door and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Sunwoo?" The brown haired boy asked in slight shock. He really wasn't expecting to see his best friend standing in the hallway, playing with his fingers and with nervous smile on his face. It wasn't the usual Kim Sunwoo. He just furrowed his eyebrows. "What are you doing here? Last time I checked you didn't have time for me."

At his words the younger frowned a little. He licked his dry lips and ran his hand through his dark hair. He looked nervous. Good. He he should be. Haknyeon had no idea why, but it was clear that his best friend was ignoring him. It was over two weeks since they went bowling and from that time Sunwoo was acting very strange. He always said that he was busy or that he had to practice for his soccer game even if Haknyeon knew that he didn't have any match coming. But the most painful thing was that Sunwoo was lying to him. He always had time to hang out with Eric or Hyunjoon. Even with Juyeon who was busy with work on the other side of town. Haknyeon couldn't understand it. Why was Sunwoo lying to him all of sudden? Did he do something wrong? Sunwoo always excused himself from hanging out, he didn't even try to find a good reason for that, always saying the first that came to his mind. And after few days of pointles trying of communicating, Ju have had enough. It seemed like Sunwoo had some kind of problem with him and he tried to talk to him about it so many times but the black-haired boy was stubbornly avoiding him like a plague. So after few days he just gave up.

Weeks passed, nothing has changed but here they were. Suddenly Kim Sunwoo was here, just randomly showing up at his door like the past few days never happened.

"Can we talk please?" The younger asked looking at him with hope. And who would Haknyeon be if he didn't let him in? He was mad, of course he was - who wouldn't be if their best friend was avoiding them? But the truth was that even if he was angry at Kim's behaviour he also missed him so much. This distance was so painful to him and healso lwanted to talk so badly. So he stepped aside and Sunwoo slowly and very hesitantly walked into the room. The boy was in this place so many times before but he still took a brief look around. Changmin's side of the room was messy as always, clothes laying on his bed, books spreaded everywhere, not to mention his boxers just laying there on the floor. Sunwoo looked at the wall above Haknyeon's desk. The whole wall was covered in colorful posters of Ju's favourite bands and pictures. There were photos of Haknyeon with his friends and family, pics of his animals and childhood photographs. Sunwoo smiled at the pictures from kindergarten and primary school. They were so young back then. Without arguing, without ignoring and the most important - without confusing feelings.

Haknyeon closed the door and leaned on them looking at his best friend who was busy staring at his wall. He was waiting. They haven't talked for so long and he had no idea why. It was killing him. He needed an explanation, he felt like they weren't as close as before and he really hated it. 

So he cleared his throat and Sunwoo looked at him like ripped out of a trance. Haknyeon locked eyes with him, the chocolate orbs that he loved so much staring right back at him.

"You wanted to talk?" Ju reminded after a few seconds of awkward silence. God, when they became like this? It didn't make any sense. Before they could talk literally about everything. Starting from the important politicians matters ending with little, stupid things. But now it felt like they were spaced apart on both sides of the galaxy. They stood they awkwardly just looking at each other like they haven't known each other since childhood.

Sunwoo cleared his throat but didn't say a word. No sound escaped his lips, he took a few breaths but still, the only thing that was heard in the room was some random song playing in the background. Haknyeon sighed loudly. There was no point in this.

But then Sunwoo just took two steps and Haknyeon found himself trapped in his arms. It all happened so fast, one second Sunwoo was standing in the middle of the room and now they were hugging tightly. Ju froze, he heard his heartbeat in his ears and his blood rushed to his cheeks. He smelled Sunwoo's cologne, he felt the heat radiating from his body and automatically relaxed after the familiar touch.

"I'm sorry." Sunwoo whispered. His hand was caressing Haknyeon hair, his eyes were closed. "We haven't talked in weeks because I was dealing with stupid things. I tried to avoid you to clear my head but I couldn't..." Kim said with a sigh. He was still hugging the smaller boy, his arms never letting go of his body.

"What things?" Haknyeon asked quietly but was met with silence. He caressed Sunwoo's back. "You know you can talk with me about anything right?" He said and took a step back escaping from his best friend's hold. He put his hand on younger's cheek and smiled looking him in the eyes. Sunwoo looked like a deer caught in a trap. The sudden movement surprised him, Haknyeon hand was cold against his burning skin. "You can trust me with anything."

"I know." Sunwoo breathed and grabbed Haknyeon's hand that was still on his face. He linked their fingers together. "But it doesn't matter anymore, everything is okay. I'm sorry I was a bad friend." He said. But the truth to be told - it wasn't. Sunwoo's mind was a big mess, his feelings didn't let him sleep at night. Everytime he saw Eric talking to Haknyeon he felt like screaming and he just needed a break. He tried to distance himself from his best friend for the past few weeks. It was easy at the beginning, he always said to the older that he was busy with his assignments or that he was tired after his long lectures. But after some time the excuses weren't enough. Haknyeon was smart, he knew Sunwoo his whole life and he has immediately sensed that something was off with the younger. But Kim stubbornly was trying to avoid him. He didn't eat in the canteen, he didn't came to their weekly dinner at the milk bar and was always locked in his room. Sunwoo knew that his behaviour was childish but he had no idea what to do. He just wanted this feelings to be gone. It was better without them but now they were there, making him go absolutly crazy.

But he couldn't do it any longer. At first he didn't miss his best friend. Avoiding him came with ease but after few days the emptiness began to be felt. Haknyeon tried to talk to him but Sunwoo always was dismissing him with short: "Not now, I'm tired. Sorry.". He knew that he was hurting his best friend, he saw it in his sad eyes but he tried to fight with the guilt. But with every passing minute, day, week it was growing and growing and he couldn't hold it any longer. He was acting like a fool. And he missed his best friend so damn much, he just had to see him.

"I understand that you're mad Hyung, I just wanted to apologize to you." He whispered avoiding the older's eyes.

"You dummy." Ju shook his head and giggled. He ruffled the taller's hair and Sunwoo smiled a little. He felt as all the tension escaped from his body. Haknyeon was smiling, clearly not angry and he couldn't be more happier. "I'm not mad anymore but please, next time if you have a hard time just talk to me okay? Don't avoid me." He asked and Sunwoo nodded. "Good. Now come on, let's cuddle. It will make you feel better." Haknyeon said and pulled him by the hand toward his bed. Sunwoo rolled his eyes but still followed him like an obedient puppy.

"I don't want to. I hate cuddles." He groaned loudly and it was Haknyeon's turn to roll his eyes. Typical Sunwoo, Haknyeon couldn't believe that someone as tsundere as him even existed. It was almost impossible to be that stubborn but Sunwoo was one of the kind apparently.

"We both know that's a lie." He said in a singsong voice and turned off the light. The room was now lit only by a small lamp one the bedside table.

Without adding anything else he pushed the younger on his bed that Sunwoo fell on his back and lay down next to him with a big grin on his face. In a second Sunwoo's arms were around Haknyeon's waist and the older snorted.

"I hate cuddles my ass. You play a bad boy but you're still just a big baby." The Jeju boy said laying his head on his best friend muscular arm making it his pillow. It was his favourite pillow in the world but it was his little secret that nobody had to know about.

"I'm not, you're a baby." Kim disagreed closing his eyes and Haknyeon giggled once again.

"You're a big baby AND a big softie."

"Shut up, I have a reputation to maintain." Sunwoo murmured and the older laughed once again hitting him slightly in the chest. Then silence fell between them, the quiet song was still playing in the background. It was cozy and peacefull, Haknyeon closed his eyes. He was tired, he had a lot things to do but he didn't bother to move, his body glued to Sunwoo. He listened to his best friend's heartbeat. It was a perfect melody for the older, he wanted to stay like this forever.

At first he was mad at the younger for ignoring him. Heck, he was furious. Then after some days it all changed into sadness, the more Sunwoo grew distant the more he started to overthink the situation. But after hearing Kim's words from few minutes ago his heart just broke. Why Sunwoo wanted to keep secrets from him? Was he a bad friend? Why Sunwoo didn't share his concerns with him? Was he unthrustworthy? His head was spinning, full of thoughts.

"I missed this." Sunwoo said after a while getting the older out of his trance. His voice quiet, almost like a whisper. His hand was playing with Haknyeon's hand that was laying on his chest. He linked their fingers together, it was a perfect fit. Haknyeon was glad that it was almost dark in the room and that Sunwoo couldn't see his face. His cheeks burned with blush making him look like he had a fever.

"Me too." Hakneyon whispered honestly and sighed. "It's been a while since we spend time like this. Just the two of us, talking like that."

"Yeah." Sunwoo agreed. He was still playing with their fingers, eyes closed. After so many days he finally had peace, his mind was in his place and the irritating feeling was gone. The only thing that mattered was that Haknyeon was in his arms. They were together and he was happy. His other hand made his way to the older hair stroking it gently and Ju sighed in content. He really, really missed that kind of evenings.

They had no idea how much time passed. They were just laying there, enjoying each others presence. The comfy atmosphere, the slow background music and the heat radiating from Haknyeon's body made Sunwoo fell asleep like a little child. The older leaned on his elbow and looked at the sleeping boy. Kim looked so peaceful and so relaxed, a little smile ghosted on his plump lips. Haknyeon adored him so much. He had no idea what he did in his past life to deserve someone like Sunwoo in his life. He slowly leaned forward and slowly planted a delicate kiss on his best friend forhead. Then he lay down as before and sighed quietly.

"Kim Sunwoo... what are you doing to me? Why do I like you so much?"

He closed his eyes, hugged the younger one tightly and slowly drifted to sleep. His assignment long time forgotten.

.

~*~

.

Never in a milion years Sunwoo would have thought, that the first thing he would see after classes was Eric with two packages of hair dye in his hands, standing in the middle of their room with a wicked smile on his face. Kim automatically groaned and dropped his bag on his bed closing the door. He was tired after lectures and just wanted to sleep but apparently his roommate had other plans judging by his facial expression.

"Bro, we're going to a party in two hours and we're gonna dye our hair. We are going to look hot as fuck." The blonde one said and Sunwoo frowned.

"We're gonna what? I'm not interested." He asked and plopped down on his bed. It was Friday afternoon, he was a walking death after a tiring week and going to a party was the last thing he had on his "to do list". He just wanted to order some pizza, put on comfy clothes and watch some movies on Netflix. He had no strength to dance and drink that night. Call him a buzzkill but he really didn't care.

His roommate just rolled his eyes and grabbed his hands making him stand from the bed.

"You're so boring. It's Friday, we have to loosen up!" He wriggled his eyebrows and Sunwoo just sighed.

"I don't think that's good idea. Maybe next time, I'm tired. Sorry. " He said and Eric pretended to be dissapointed. He had a plan and he was sure that it would work. It's been ages since he wanted to make Sunwoo realise his feelings for Haknyeon and even if it was working it was still too slow. So he had to upgrade his strategy a little bit and this party was a great opportunity to do it. He couldn't give up.

"Ah man that sucks but if it's what you really want then that's okay. I'll go alone." He said looking dissapointed. A lie. He wasn't dissapointed at all. He was sure that Sunwoo was gonna agree to go with him after the next thing he wanted to say. He raised the boxes with hair dye to the height of his head and with a smile said:

"Haknyeon and Changmin are going too and few days ago I overheard him talking about how he liked a bold hair colours on guys. So I though of dying them. What do you think? Which one suits me better?" He asked showing a blue and a red paint. At the mention of his best friend Sunwoo's ears perked and Eric smirked - he got him.

Obviously he didn't show anything to Sunwoo who suddenly seemed to be very interested about the party. It was quite pitiful but his friend was an idiot in love so the blonde one forgave him.

"So..?" He continued. "I thought of red? Haknyeon said it was his favourite colour ever." He stated emphasizing the words "favourite" and "ever". Sunwoo eyes fell on the small boxes and he bit his lips. He looked like he had a big battle in his head and after a few seconds he pointed at one box and took another from Eric's hand. The blonde one raised an eyebrow.

"Honestly, I think blue suits you more. You're paler than me so it would look better." Sunwoo answered clearing his throat. He looked very awkward. Just a second ago he wasn't interesting in anything but now he was totally on it. "And maybe you're right. It's Friday I have to relax and loosen up. I think I'll go with red hair." He said scratching his head and Eric had to hold himself from laughing out loud. That was so easy to predict, Sunwoo was literally so effortless to play with. You just had to mention the name of his best friend and the black-haired boy was behaving like a loyal animal.

Eric smiled and patted his back. "I knew you're gonna make a good decision." He said and taking their towels they made their way to the bathroom. Sunwoo totally clueless about the whole plan and Eric bursting inside with joy.

What a whipped idiot.

.

~*~  
.

Music banging loudly, sweaty bodies rubbing against each other in the small room and strong smell of alcohol welcomed the two boys when they entered the flat. Vision blurred by the cigarette smoke, heat caused by people dancing in the living room - just a typical college party.

"Damn, this is lit." Eric said putting his arm around Sunwoo, leather jacket limiting his movements slightly. The red haired guy took a bottle of beer from someone who was passing by and took a big sip. He had no idea how this many people fit in that apartment, but he had to admit - the atmosphere was amazing.

Some catchy song with hard bass was playing through the speakers, students were chatting, dancing and laughing - not to mention the amount of alcohol they were pouring into themselves. Couples making out by the walls with hot tongues in each others mouths, Sunwoo rolled his eyes at them - it wasn't a pleasing sight. But overall it seemed really cool. They made their way to the kitchen queezing between already drunk group of boys where Eric poured himself a good amount of vodka and drank it all at once. Kim raised an eyebrow at him taking a sip from his beer.

"Easy buddy. We don't want you passing out later." He said and the younger just laughed. He shook his head that was now adorned with blue bangs and ends making him look absolutely amazing. Sunwoo was right earlier- blue really suited him. Sohn opened the fridge and took a bottle of beer for himself, he opened it on the table and drank from it. He took a deep breath and whistled.

"Damn, Hyunjae really made points with that one." He said drinking once again. Sunwoo really should take care of him tonight if Eric wanted to be alive the next day.

And speaking of the devil, their friend entered the kitchen in his all handsome glory with two empty beer bottles in his hands. Hyunjae was wearing a very similar leather pants to the ones that Sunwoo had on himself, his blonde hair stuck in every direction, his white shirt was creased and opened revealing his toned muscles and pink spots were adorning the pale skin on his neck. The red-haired boy really didn't want to know what was he doing or maybe - who was he doing. The older threw this party to celebrate the last weekend before the exams sessions, he was practically a hero in a student community right now and clearly he didn't regret spending so much money on alcohol considering the amount he drank already.

"Guys you made it!" Hyunjae yelled happily when he saw the two friends leaning on the kitchen table. Stumbling over his legs he made his way towards them and embraced them in a tight hug almost crushing them by the way. He definitely had too much alcohol in his system. "You both look so good." Hyunjae complimented after spotting their colorful hair and Sunwoo just shrugged fixing his black bandana.

"I sadly must admit that it wasn't the worst of Eric's ideas." He said and his friend punched him in the arm. Sunwoo laughed loudly and massaged the sore spot. Damn, Eric had a really strong punch. But what he said was true. He and Eric had a lot of stupid ideas on their account but this hair colour change was actually one of the best thing they've ever done. Sunwoo was sceptical at first but when he saw the final product in the mirror he was very glad that he agreed to his friend's idea. Red hair suited him, they made him stand out in the crowd and surprisingly he liked the attention he was getting. He saw that some people at the party eyed him when they entered the apartment and his ego was happy. But sadly for them he only wanted attention from one, special boy who he hadn't spotted yet.

They chatted with Hyunjae for a few minutes about the party and gossiped about the guests. In the meantime they empted another beer bottles and took a few shots of vodka and Sunwoo felt himself getting a little bit tipsy. His ears were buzzing and he was laughing more at his friend's drunken jokes but still, compared to Eric he was in perfect condition.

At one point they heard a loud crash and a lot of cussing and Hyunjae had to leave them to check what happened, as they later found out someone broke some vase in the living room and their friend had to take care of it. Sunwoo and Eric once again were left alone in the kitchen - but not for too long.

"Suwoo look who's there." Eric giggled and took another sip from his bottle pointing at the door. It was his seventh beer that night and he was already a little drunk. Sunwoo was glad that he had a stronger head compared to his friend and he actually had control over his body and mind. With Eric it was a lost case already. Kim had no idea why they were even going to these parties since Eric never remembered what happened on them and was a walking death the next day. "Your beautiful bestie came and he looks hot as fuck I must say." The blue haired laughed and yelled for the boys to come closer.

And fuck, Eric was so damn right. Sunwoo was used to seeing his best friend in casual clothes and without makeup so when his eyes laid on a Haknyeon he almost choked on his drink. The older was laughing at something Changmin was saying, lips stretched in a wide smile, his usual oversized hoodies and messy hair long forgotten. Long legs clothed in a tight black pants, bloody red silk shirt that emphasized his broad shoulders. He looked like a model. Two unbuttoned buttons showed his pale skin on his torso and a diamond choker adorned his neck, shimmering in kitchen lights with thousands of colours. And his hair was black.

Sunwoo swallowed.

Blood rushed to his face when he eyed his best friend's shiltoulette. The older was mesmerizing, he looked amazing and Kim was in awe. He was so shocked at how beautiful Haknyeon looked, he was at loss of words.

"Close your mouth lover boy, we know we look good." Said Changmin when the two finally came to them. He looked very pretty, with hair combed up and blue sweater with deep v-neck he looked extra handsome. But Sunwoo totally ignored him, his eyes glued only to his best friend. They were just two steps apart and now the red-haired boy could see him clearly. He was even prettier up close. From this distance Sunwoo could see the makeup that Haknyeon put on. His beautiful dark eyes were staring back at him, eyelids painted with shiny eyeshadow and black eyeliner that made his eyes look deeper and mysterious. Glitter on his cheeks, pink lip gloss and his hair parted in the middle made him look like he was taken straight from a cover of some fashion magazine. His eyes trailed to his neck where the diamond choker was placed - Sunwoo's throat was dry all of sudden. Words couldn't describe how Kim felt at that moment. Haknyeon looked just ethereal and Sunwoo was awestruck. He couldn't say a sentence, words couldn't came out of his mouth - he was just speechless.

But Haknyeon felt the same way. When he saw his best friend drinking beer, leaning on the kitchen counter and with red hair he thought that he was hallucinating. And honestly, he never thought that he would like a black bandana tied up by the forehead that much. And his hair was freaking red, Haknyeon was shocked - of course in a good way. The new hair colour made Sunwoo's tanned skin more noticable, he had a black leather jacket flipped over his shoulder and a black tank top that showed his muscular arms. Silver earring were dangling in his ears matching with a long necklace. He looked handsome, he looked expensive. Typical fuckboy vibes radiated from him for miles. Haknyeon was getting dizzy just from watching him. Kim Sunwoo just stood here, drinking some cheap beer but still looked like a Greek God with his outfit, body proportions and perfectly sculptured face. That was totally unfair.

"I think I'm gonna puke." Eric said after looking between two friends that was just staring at each other in silence. It was only his voice that pulled them out of their trance. Sunwoo cleared his throat awkwardly after seeing his disgusted face and Changmin's knowing glance. But Eric in his drunken state was totally obvious to the tension and he just threw his arm over Haknyeon and hugged him tight.

"But damn Hyung you look so spicy, I almost didn't recognize you." He complimented, his arms still over him and Haknyeon blushed because of the compliment. Was he really looking that different? When Changmin said few hours earlier that he would 'improve his image' Haknyeon haven't thought even for a second that he would change that much. The older even dyed his hair. He changed his appearance almost completely, this new style was darker, bolder and sexier but honestly - he really liked that.

"Thank you Eric, you also look very handsome. This new hair suits you very much." He said and gratefully took a bottle of beer that Changmin gave him. He was slightly tensed, he felt Sunwoo's burning eyes on him and the younger one. He cursed in his mind. Kim was probably pissed that Eric was hugging him, but he had no idea how to free himself without looking too suspicious. He didn't like it at all, Sunwoo looked really pissed and it was only a minute they talked.

"Thank you Hyungie. But you know you look like some kind of idol. I could eat you up right here. You look so handsome in that outfit." Eric mumbled taking another sip of his vodka almost spilling everything on the floor. Sunwoo sucked his breath and clenched his fists. What the actual fuck? If Haknyeon wasn't standing on his way he would seriously punch his friend in the face. How the hell could he say something like that infront of him? He knew that Eric was drunk and that he wasn't thinking straight but still, that pissed him off. Who did he think he was to talk about Haknyeon like that?? Blood rushed to his face, he suddenly felt totally sober. He clenched his jaw so that he wouldn't blew up at his friend, he didn't want to make a scene. But luckily for him Changmin saved the situation by taking the youngest by his arm.

"Oh no young man, I think you have had enough alcohol for a while. Let me take to do the bathroom if you would like to puke for real." The oldest of the four said taking Eric's cup away putting it in the counter. The youngest whined loudly but Changmin just rolled his eyes at him. "Let's go before you say too much. See you around guys!" He said dragging Eric from the two without difficulty, leaving them alone.

Only when they disappeared from his view Sunwoo breathed out in relieve. Just one look at the boy standing before him and all the tension escaped from his body. Surprisingly the kitchen was empty, everyone was in the living room or in hallways and they were the only ones there, only the music from the living was heard either way it was very peaceful. They stood up here for a few seconds just looking at each other, admiring each other quietly, not talking.

"Hey." Haknyeon laughed after few seconds to break the awkward silence and Sunwoo smiled back at him.

"Hey." He answered and the older grinned. God, he looked so dreamy. Sunwoo couldn't take his eyes away. "Sorry for the things Eric said. He can be very handful after alcohol." Kim said and scratched his head making Haknyeon giggle. Sunwoo took another big sip from his bottle, he was afraid that he would do something stupid without it.

"I'm sure Changmin can handle him." The older assured and also drank his beer. "You look amazing in this colour, you know." Haknyeon said pointing at Sunwoo's hair and the younger had to look away trying to mask the blush that started to spread on his face. He heard that compliment a few times that evening but still, only that one felt special to him.

"Thank you. You look beautiful in black." He replied without a second thought. Then he froze after realizing what he said. Shit. Maybe alcohol wasn't a good idea, he was acting recklessly. Saying stuff like that without thinking was dangerous.

Haknyeon bit hip lip trying to stop his big grin. He felt heat spreading through his whole body, his cheeks reddened. Sunwoo words felt good, he was glad that his best friend liked it. He wanted Sunwoo to think that he looked good. He knew that he was selfish but he wanted to hear the compliments from the younger. He was desperate.

"Thank you." He said and they stood there once again awkwardly. None of them knew how to act around the other one anymore. It felt like they entered a new, unknown territory. With feelings involved they had no idea how to behave so they did what people usually do on a party - they just sat by the table and started to drink. The alcohol was nothing special, it burned their throats and left a bitter taste in their mouths but they started to relax, the conversation flew by itself. They joked and laughed, drinking more and more. Eric and Changmin were nowhere to be seen but they didn't mind that they were alone. They were giggling and yelling, at one point alcohol was spilled on the table and Sunwoo's shirt was wet but they didn't care - they had fun.

"Oh my God I love this song!" Haknyeon exclaimed when a familiar tune played through the speakers. He abruptly stood up and took a beer bottle from Sunwoo's hand putting it down on the table. He enthusiastically clapped his hands and smiled.

"Hey! I wanted to drink it." The younger whined but Haknyeon just shook his head and dragged him into the living room laughing loudly.

"We have to dance!" He yelled through the music and still holding Sunwoo's hand they made their way to the middle of the makeshift dance floor. Drunk people were all squeezed, swaying to the rhythm, sweaty bodies touching and rubbing against each other but that didn't stop them. Haknyeon's grip burned, Sunwoo's whole body shivered and he felt like every step took an eternity. He could only focus on the older's touch. And when they finally stopped, surrounded by the crowd of drunk students he felt his breath stopping.

Haknyeon started dancing.

Alcohol in his system was working, the older started to slowly sway his hips to the tune, his hands caressing his body. Eyes closed, mouth slightly open mouthing to the lyrics and sweat forming on his forehead. Aphrodite had a worthy opponent. Haknyeon's movements were slow and sexy, he was spinning around, hands in his hair, head threw back showing of his pale skin on the neck. Sunwoo never saw a performance this amazing in his life. It was a college party, they were in the middle of a crowded room but still Kim was hypnotized. His eyes followed every single move that the older was making, enjoying the view. He stood there like a fool just watching him. Fuck, it was too much.

Haknyeon opened his eyes and smiled at him widely with that beautiful grin that showed all his white teeth. That beautiful grin that the older was showing everytime he was truly happy. Sunwoo swallowed.  
Haknyeon took a few steps closer so their chests were almost touching, his hands made their way to Sunwoo's shoulders and he started to sway them both to the music.

"Why are you standing like this? Dance, you idiot." He laughed into his ear and Sunwoo shivered when Haknyeon's hot breath made contact with his skin. His heart started beating as fast as never before. He started dancing with uncertain moves, just swaying his hips. Haknyeon shook his head and took Sunwoo's hands and put them on his hips. The younger felt like hyperventilating, he had no idea what to do. His head started spinning, his mind full of thoughts. He felt the older body so clearly, he could feel the heat radiating from him, he could smell his cologne. His all senses were on fire.

And there he was, Haknyeon's arms were still around his neck, laughing eyes staring right at him, with blurred eyeliner, rosy cheeks and pink lips stretched in a wide smile. They were moving in perfect harmony, noses almost touching, breaths mixed together. All the things around them have stopped to matter. And in that position, just swaying to some random song in their own little world Sunwoo realised that, that was everything he ever wanted.

Haknyeon was here, so close, just one little move and they could touch each other faces. If he wanted, Sunwoo could bend a little, he could just leaned down and they could kiss. He wondered how these plump lips would taste. Would they taste like cherry that Haknyeon liked so much? Or maybe strawberry? Would it be sweet and slow? Or maybe the kiss would be messy because of the lip gloss that the older put on? Just one step and he would know. Just one move and he would taste the plump lips with his. Just one move and he would touch them with his own. Just one move and they would kiss.

Oh fuck.

Sunwoo stooped abruptly, making Haknyeon whine in surprise but he didn't care.

Fuck, what was he thinking? That was his best friend. He couldn't be thinking about those things. What was happening to him? Was he crazy? How could he?

"What's wrong?" Haknyeon asked, clearly worried that his friend stopped moving out of sudden. "Hey, talk to me."

Sunwoo looked at those big dear eyes and just couldn't say a word. How could he think of kissing him? How this kind of thoughts could even appear in his head when he knew that his best friend liked Eric? Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Everything started to blurry, he couldn't hear the song, Haknyeon's words were coming like through a fog. He pulled away from his friend and Ju send him a worried glance. The older had no idea what happened. Why was his best friend behaving like this? Just one second ago everything was fine and now Kim was acting so strange.

Haknyeon's touch burned. Sunwoo had to go. He had to go right now. He had to ran away before he would have done something that he would regret later.

"I think I need some air." He cleared his throat. Without other explanation and with avoiding eye contact he turned around and walked away. Without turning back. Even if every step hurtted him like hell he couldn't go back. Even if he wanted nothing more than having Haknyeon in his arms, he couldn't do it. It was too dangerous. If he took one more look at his best friend he knew that he wouldn't hold back. He was getting crazy.

Ignoring Haknyeon's calls he pushed through the crowd and made his way to the exit. He had to leave right now. Otherwise he would do something stupid and he would never forgive himself. He walked out of the apartmend without saying goodbye to anyone and stopped by the nearest wall. He leaned his head against the cold surface and cursed loudly banging his fist against it.

Fuck, fuck he was so doomed.

.

~*~  
.

Haknyeon had a deja vu. It was like everything before the party was happening once again. He couldn't stop thinking about Sunwoo even for a second. They had so much fun at Hyunjae's apartment, they were drinking, joking and laughing, everything was okay but then, suddenly his best friend started acting strange and Haknyeon had no idea why. The red haired boy said that he needed some air but when Haknyeon went out to check on him, his best friend was nowhere to be seen. He just vanished from the party like he wasn't even there in the first place. He looked for Changmin and Eric and when he finally found them he asked if they knew something about the red haired boy but they only said that Sunwoo messaged them that he wasn't feeling okay and that he went back to the dorms. Ju was just so confused. His mind was literally blank, there wasn't any ideas in his head about what possibly could made Sunwoo behaving like that. And he was pissed.

He was pissed because few weeks ago they had a conversation about the exact same thing but Sunwoo was now ignoring him once again and he just wanted to pull his hair out of his head. Laying in his bed he stared at the ceiling. It's been days since they talked. Six to be exact, maybe it wasn't that much compared to the last time when Sunwoo was avoiding him but still he was angry at his best friend. If Sunwoo wasn't feeling good then why he just couldn't say so? It didn't make any sense to him. What was he hiding from him? He had to solve this before it would eat him from inside. He really didn't want to pry, he respected his best friend's privacy and it would be okay if he had some secrets. But this situation was just so weird and very suspicious. They were just dancing, it wasn't the first time they were doing that so why now and why so suddenly Sunwoo was acting like a stranger? He have had enough. He promised himself that he would find out what's going on even if it whould be the last thing he does. So highly motivated, he stood up from his bed, put on some random hoodie and walked out of the room heading to the lower floor. He knew that his best friend would be in his room, it was Thursday which meant Sunwoo didn't have any soccer practice so he probably would be in his bedroom catching up on his lectures.

His steps echoed through the hallway, he was in a rush, jumping up two steps when he was running down the stairs. And there he was. The door with number 137. The door to Sunwoo's room.

He hoped that the red haired boy would be alone and that he wanted to speak with him. Even if he was determined to talk he was also scared to death. He just wanted to know what's going on and with what problems Sunwoo was dealing. He just wanted to help him. But he had no idea in what direction this conversation would go. So after taking a few deep breaths he knocked loudly on the door and waited in anticipation. He heard the sound of a sliding chair and quiet steps. He stopped breathing for a second when the door was shot open.

"Hi." He greeted when Sunwoo appeared in the doorway but frowned after seeing the younger's state. His best friend looked tired. He had some old shirt and grey sweatpants on, his red hair was failing on his forehead, dark circles were visible under his eyes and he was licking his dry lips. He clearly wasn't sleeping well for few days. After seeing the older Sunwoo took a deep breath and rubbed his face. He clearly wasn't pleased with the unexpected visit.

"Can we talk?" Ju asked him, eyes full of hope.

"I have a lot things to do Hyung, maybe some other time." The younger answered trying to close the door but the Jeju boy held them quickly so that he couldn't do it. He wasn't going to give up that easily. Nice try but they had to talk, if they wouldn't do it at that moment the older would explode because of frustration.

"Just five minutes please. You know you can't avoid me forever." He said firmly but gently at the same time. He didn't come there to fight. Haknyeon clearly saw the hesitation in Sunwoo's eyes. The red-haired boy was quiet, he was staring at the older with unreadable facial expression trying to think about the situation that he got himself into. But clearly Haknyeon was too determinate to even think about arguing with him and he knew that the older wasn't going to let go. He knew his best friend too well, there was no point in denying his request. So taking a big breath he stepped aside opening the door wider so that Haknyeon could enter the room.

The first thing the older did was scanning the room searching for Eric but the blue-haired boy was nowhere to be seen. His bed was messy, clothes laying everywhere, his laptop opened and laying on his pillow. Yup, definitely he wasn't there. And as if he was reading his thoughts Sunwoo's deep voice echoed through the room.

"Eric went out with Hyunjoon." He said and folded his arms over his chest. He was standing in the middle of the bedroom waiting for Haknyeon to speak. The older had flashbacks to the past, this situation was so familiar but now it was Haknyeon who came to the younger's room, not the other way around.

The black haired boy bit his lips looking at his best friend. Sunwoo was patiently waiting for him to start speaking but now Ju couldn't even say a word. What was happening? His mind went blank all of sudden, he had no idea what to say. Every planned speech that he imagined just vanished from his head. It was crazy how just one look from the younger could make him go speechless. But Sunwoo also looked nervous. He was tapping his food on the floor and biting his lips. He didn't know what to expect from Haknyeon, heck, he didn't know what to expect from himself. They haven't talked in a week because after the memorable party Sunwoo couldn't stop thinking about his best friend. Everytime he closed his eyes Haknyeon's face was there. The older haunted him everywhere, even in his dreams he heard his voice. The thoughts about the kiss wouldn't leave him even for a second, million scenarios were created in his head and he had enough of it. He was tired. He couldn't sleep, he couldn't eat. And of course when he wasn't mentally prepared for this situation, his best friend just showed up at his door looking like a kicked puppy and asking for a talk and he couldn't resist this pleasing eyes.

Haknyeon composed himself and took a deep breath. It was now or never.

"Why did you run away from the party? I was looking for you everywhere." Haknyeon asked, trying to reach for Sunwoo's hand but the younger took a step back avoiding the contact. Haknyeon's heart sunk.

"I wasn't feeling well. I'm sorry I didn't text you, I forgot." The red-haired boy answered putting his hands into his pockets. Bullshit. Haknyeon knew that this wasn't true. He texted Eric and Changmin so why he didn't send any message to him?

"Don't lie. You were avoiding me once again. I gave you space because I didn't want to pry but I can't anymore. Tell me what's wrong." He asked looking the younger straight to the eyes. He was getting more and more irritated. What Sunwoo was hiding?? He clenched his fists when Sunwoo didn't show any reaction. He just stood there with a poker face on. Nothing, he wasn't smiling, he wasn't frowning, he just looked really...bored.

"Sorry to say that but that's not your business." Sunwoo said with a sigh and after hearing that Haknyeon's blood just boiled in his veins.

"Sunwoo ple-"

"I don't want to talk about it okay? I just wasn't feeling well, that's it. I'm really sorry for leaving but I had to." The younger interrupted clearly annoyed at the older and Haknyeon fumed inside. But who couldn't blame the Jeju boy? He couldn't listen to this crap. Sunwoo was lying straight to his face and he didn't like it at all.

"You know I'm not buying it." He said putting his hands on his hips. But Kim clearly wasn't having any of it. The red-haired boy just sighed and shrugged like it wasn't a big of a deal. He looked almost nonchalant.

"Then maybe you should because that's all I have to say to you."

Haknyeon groaned throwing his hands in the air. He felt so helpless. His best friend didn't want to cooperate which was so annoying to the point that he wanted to scream. Literally, he was so frustrated, Sunwoo was just staring at him like nothing happened. Haknyeon thought that Kim didn't want to resolve this situation and that he was the only one that was trying. It was pissing him off. How could he act so, so.. so heartless?

"Oh my God Sunwoo. Why are you so stubborn? We talked about this. Why are you ignoring me once again? If you have a problem then just talk to me, I want to help you!" He snapped at him. He felt so powerless at that moment.

"Do you want to know my problem? Then okay, let's do this if you want to know that badly!" Sunwoo snapped back and finally showed some emotions. He took a few steps and stopped just before the older. Their noses almost touching, Haknyeon had to look up to meet his eyes. Sunwoo was fuming. It was like something suddenly clicked in him, like some switch was suddenly turned on. Now he wasn't holding back anymore. He was looking Haknyeon straight to the eyes, his brows were furrowed and jaw clenched. His body was tensed and his chest was raising quickly. Just a second ago he was emotionless and now his body was on fire. He touched Haknyeon's chest with his pointing finger and pushed him slightly, the older frowned but didn't budge.

"My problem is that I fucking like you and I can't do anything about that because you and Eric like each other! Here! Are you happy now?" Sunwoo shouted at him making Haknyeon flinch. He rubbed his face angrily, his cheeks were red and the calmness from few minutes ago was long time forgotten. The mask was gone, emotions took control over his body and mind.  
He turned around and leaned on his desk breathing heavily trying to calm himself and Haknyeon just froze.

"What?"

Haknyeon felt like his world was crashing. Did he hear that right? Or maybe he misheard him? His eyes widened and mouth was open - he had no idea how to react. Sunwoo liked him? That was so unreal, it didn't feel right at all. He felt his body going numb, he had to lean on a wall to support himself. His mind was getting dizzy and his head was spinning - he couldn't believe that. For few years he was dreaming of this moment. He imagined that situation a thousand times but never in a milion years he would thought that this would happen for real. But didn't Sunwoo like Eric? He was so confused. All the time, all the freaking time he was thinking that he wouldn't stand a chance and now.. and now it's all different. He had no idea what to feel.

Completely obvious to the battle happening in the older's mind, with his back facing Haknyeon, Sunwoo continued.

"And you now, that sucks because I should be happy for you but I can't. I can't because of that stupid feelings so leave me alone for the sake of everyone. I know you haven't expected any of this and that you're probably shocked as hell and I understand. But.. fuck.. I don't know anymore.." He grabbed his hair and groaned in frustration.  
He looked like he was in so much pain. Just one look at his posture and you could tell how devastated he was. A thousand emotions flew over his face, he was sure that the older liked Eric. Haknyeon's heart broke. Sunwoo liked him and he thought that Haknyeon liked his roommate? What the hell? What kind of situation that was.

"Sunwoo-"

"No Hyung, don't say anything. I feel terrible already. I know that you're angry but please, just go away. I'm sorry but I don't want to see you right know. Not when my feelings are so messed up. I know it's weird, you must be so shocked and I'm sorry, I really am." Sunwoo rambled clenching his hands on the desk. His head was down and his eyes were closed. Haknyeon was shocked but still, he made his way towards the younger and gently put his hand on his shoulder.

"Sunwoo."

"I told you to go away." He turned around abruptly. His face looked pained. "You don't have to say anything. I know you don't like me back." He murmured looking away. He just couldn't look at his best friend, not after pouring his heart out. He didn't want to see his reaction. He was scared. He didn't want to face the rejection. Not yet. He had no idea why he said all of that. Why was he acting like an idiot? Now Haknyeon probably wouldn't talk to him for good. All the weight fell off from his heart but still he wanted to slap himself so badly - why couldn't he control his fucking mouth?

But Haknyeon just smiled and slowly took Sunwoo's hand in his. He was still in a big shock but he couldn't stop the happiness that spread throughout his body. Sunwoo liked him. His best friend, the amazing boy that he admired from afar, his favourite person in the whole world had feelings for him. When he got so lucky? He seriously had no idea.

"Sunwoo look at me, please." Haknyeon said when the younger finally stopped talking. He gently squeezed Sunwoo's hand trying to convey all his feelings with this simple gesture.

"I like you too."

Sunwoo raised his head in a span of a second, eyes wide. "What?"

Haknyeon smiled and linked their fingers together. Kim wasn't moving, he was like a wax statue, his body tensed and he looked the older straight to his eyes, his gaze hard and piercing. There was no way that he heard that correctly. He was sure that his mind was playing some sick game with him. This couldn't be happening, it didn't make any sense. "Please don't joke like that." He said and his best friend just shook his head.

"But I'm not joking. I like you Sunwoo. I liked you since high school and you have no idea how happy I am right now." Haknyeon whispered staring back at him with so much love that Sunwoo was sure that he was dreaming. The older's lips were stretched in a wide smile and Kim could swear that his eyes were glistening with tears. It all felt like a dream. But it wasn't. Haknyeon was there, holding his hand so tightly and looking at him with so much adoration. His heart skipped a beat, he couldn't believe that this was real.

"I.." He was speechless, no word could leave his throat. "I don't know what to say.. I thought.. No, I was sure that you and Eric liked each other and now you're saying that you like me? I must be dreaming.." Sunwoo mumbled totally dumbfounded and the black-haired boy giggled. Sunwoo was seriously so cute stumbling over his words like that. Gosh, Haknyeon was so much in love with this boy.

"Sorry to dissapoint you but I only have my eyes on you. Actually I thought that you and Eric like each other." He laughed and squeezed the younger hand. "I seriously can't believe that you like me.. you're the amazing Kim Sunwoo and I am, well, I am just me.." Haknyeon said dreamily looking at their folded fingers. He really couldn't believe that everything that was happening at that moment was real. It felt just magical.

"And I like you because of that. I like you because you are you. Because you're Ju Haknyeon, the annoying yet cute kid from Jeju that unexpectedly came to my life and turned it upside down. I think I've liked you for a while but I only admitted it recently to myself... and, fuck, I'm so bad at this emotional talk, ignore me please." He laughed awkwardly scratching his head and Haknyeon shook his head, he was smiling the whole time. How could Sunwoo be this cute? It was so bad for his heart, he couldn't handle it. The younger always posed like a bad boy but there he was - stuttering over his words because of the nervousness. Totally adorable.

"No, it's perfect. I love it." He admitted and Sunwoo just smiled. He took Haknyeon's other hand into his and hold them tightly. He was delighted, it certainly wasn't really happening. There was no way that this beautiful boy was reciprocating his feelings. He stared at older lovingly, they weren't saying anything, just happy with each other presence. All the tension from earlier was gone, the screaming and arguing long forgotten. Everything was clear now - they liked each other. And that's what mattered the most.

"So... can we skip this awkward conversation so I can finally ask you to be my boyfriend?" Sunwoo asked after a while and the older giggled and eagerly nodded.

"Yes, yes we can." The blackhaired boy laughed and Sunwoo cleared his throat.

"So Ju Haknyeon, will give me this honor and will you be mine?"

"Of course." Haknyeon answered without a second of hesitation. They both smiled widely and the older threw himself in his boyfriend's arms making them stumble a little. Sunwoo leaned on the table and wrapped his arms around the black-haired boy. He closed his eyes and breathed his scent. God he was so happy, he couldn't believe what just happened. Haknyeon liked him back, he didn't like Eric or someone else, he was there, in his arms laughing loudly. All the stress was gone. Sunwoo would never have thought he would end up in this situation - hugging the older, hugging his boyfriend. He was scared but at the same time he felt his mind and heart was finally at peace. All the confusing feelings left him when he confessed. He finally admitted to himself that all the time he was just jealous, jealous because Eric was getting Haknyeon's attention, jealous because he could just hug him and call him handsome without being suspicious, jealous because the Jeju boy was focusing only on the younger. But in the end he realized his real feelings. It was hard, he couldn't look at himslef in the mirror but after telling about his feelings to the older his mind calmed down. It was a good feeling, and now it loaded to this - to having an amazing boyfriend. God, he loved his that sounded already. Ju Haknyeon - his boyfriend.

"Hyung, I know it might be a little to soon but can I kiss you?" He asked after a few minutes when they finally stopped highing. His hands were shaking a little and he didn't want to hold an eye contact. His face was heating up already but Haknyeon just smiled at him and nodded. So without second though Sunwoo leaned a little and connected their lips.

It wasn't anything magical. There were no fireworks and no applause, just a slight touch of lips. Still, he felt the strong shiver going through his spine. The kiss was delicate at first, just a light touch, Haknyeon's plump lips over his dry ones. But the slow, uncertain movements, the taste of the older lips made this kiss so special. It was their first kiss - Sunwoo wanted to do this for so long. And he was right - Haknyeon's lips tasted like cherry. So sweet, so lovely and so tasty. Putting one of his hands on the older's neck he pulled him closer - Haknyeon's hands rested on his chest to support. It was slowly getting faster, bolder moves, they were exploring each others mouth without a rush - they had all the time in the world. They wanted to express all the feelings they were hiding for so long. They finally could stop pretending.

"Ah man what the hell?! Gross! I didn't want to see this!" They abruptly pulled away from each other like they were burned. They heads snapped in the direction of the door to see Eric with a disgusted expression on his face. He was holding his hands before his face trying to cover his eyes and trying to find a way to his bed without looking at the two. "I'm really glad that you idiots are finally together but please, stop eating each others mouths in the middle of the room. Sunwoo your not the only one living here!" He whined reproachfully finally reaching his bed.

"Eric? You said that you're coming back late!" Sunwoo said ears red from embarrassment. Haknyeon awkwardly took a step back from his boyfriend and scratched his head no less ashamed than the red-haired boy. That was literally their first kiss but Eric walked in at the very wrong moment. It wasn't their fault that the younger came back earlier. But still their faces were red like tomatoes and Haknyeon wanted to just crawl into some hole and hide from the whole world.

"The movie ended faster than we expected." The blue-haired boy shrugged and smirked pointing between the two. "But since I'm already here and I ruined your make out session, you can fill me in all the details at least." He moved his eyebrows and smirked. "I see that my plan clearly worked."

"Wait what? What plan? What are you talking about?" Sunwoo asked and Haknyeon furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Eric just shook his head and took a deep breath, his mouth stretching in a wide smile.

"Take your popcorn guys, it's gonna be a long story."

.

~*~

.

"You idiots, I swear I live in some kind of simulation. I can't believe that you thought that I like Sunwoo. He blows his nose into the sleeve, Hyung I have standards you know."

"Oh my God Eric, shut up."

"And besides, why would I even like any of you when literally Juyeon Hyung exists?"

"You have a crush on Juyeon hyung?"

"Oh shit, gotta blast!"

"Sohn Eric come back here! We have to talk!"

But even if Eric's idea was crazy Sunwoo was glad that his friend did it. It clearly worked out in the end. If the whole situation wouldn't take place maybe Haknyeon and him would still live in a sweet ignorance and in denial. Maybe they would never confess to each other and they would live only as a friends. But luckily, now here they were. Just laying on Sunwoo's bed, he was hugging the older, he had the whole in his arms and he couldn't be happier. He was thankful for his roommate and his ideas, because of him Ju Haknyeon was now his.

But he still had to beat up Eric for calling his boyfriend hot, tho.

.

~*~

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End file.
